PETER McCormack has relocated from the UK to the Tweed and swapped his career as a physiotherapist for the laid back lifestyle of a coffee van operator.
And he wouldn't change a thing.

In fact, he's the happiest he's been in years. You may have seen a Cafe2U van cruising the South Tweed industrial area recently and noticed a huge smile coming from the driver's side window.

“This is really fun and I really enjoy it,” Mr McCormack said. “I seem to like it more as it goes on and I'm getting better at every facet. When I was working in physio people came to me in pain, now they come to me happy.”

It may come as a shock to some of us who would never consider uprooting our lives for a new country, new career and a new community. But Mr McCormack said the Tweed residents he had met had been remarkably friendly. “When this franchise was available I jumped at it, this area is amazingly pretty,” he said. “It's not a big area with huge high rises; I love the beaches, the waterways and the opportunity for sporting activities all year round. The people are really friendly and it's very easy to interact with people.”

Surprisingly, the global financial crisis did not deter the enthusiastic franchisee. “I was told by Cafe2U that when the global financial crisis hit, coffee sales went up,” he said. “People still need their hit. Cafe2U is the first and biggest of its kind in Australia. The reputation of the franchise means it's a good franchise to be a part of and the bean we use won the CSR Golden Bean bronze award.”

Mr McCormack has now been operating the van for three months and has no desire to stop. “I just want to work outdoors and with people and I just love coffee,” he said.